The ferry boat captain, whose name was not published, was sharply critical of the U.S. Coast Guard.

"I don't understand how the Coast Guard allows these boats to go out sometimes," the captain told the Post. "They really do put people at risk. If this were a private company, the Coast Guard would be all over them."

"When it comes to our public transportation system, safety must always
be our top priority," said Grimm, who is co-chair of the Congressional Public
Transportation Caucus, a bipartisan coalition concerned with the issues and needs of mass-transit agencies and their passengers.

"That's why I requested a formal meeting today with
the U.S. Coast Guard to review the ferry's certification process and
consider any changes that should be made to ensure the continued safety
of the passengers and crew on board," the congressman said.

The three Molinari-class ferry boats -- the Guy V. Molinari, Sen. John J. Marchi, and Spirit of America -- each carries a maximum capacity of 4,427 passengers, along with a crew of 16, according to the city Department of Transportation (DOT).

Measuring 310 feet long and 70 feet wide, with a draft of 13 feet, 10 inches, they run at a service speed of 16 knots, with 9,000 horsepower.

Grimm is backing the DOT's application for $265 million in funding from the Sandy Resilience Program of the Federal Transit Administration. If granted, part of that sum would be used to build three "modern and more maneuverable 4,500-passenger vessels, that will be better capable of withstanding adverse storm conditions and capable of docking at a broader range of locations during emergencies," he wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx last month.